We celebrate International Women’s Day 2025 with some remarkable women
International Women’s Day 2025 gives us a chance to recognise the many wonderful women who live and work in our communities. We have an array of remarkable women living in our retirement developments - from MBE charity founders to daredevils - there are no stereotypes here. But Ryland Place, a Retirement Living PLUS development, in Edgbaston, Birmingham, seems particularly blessed with women who impress! Meet Professor Margaret M Clark OBE, Olympian and world-record holder Rosemary Chrimes (formerly Payne), actor Anita Brown and gardener Janet Cartwright.
98-year-old Professor Margaret M Clark OBE
With an OBE for services to early childhood education, an honorary life membership to the United Kingdom Literacy Association, over 30 publishing credits and two prizes awarded in her name each year at the University of Strathclyde, Professor Margaret Clark, who turns 99 this year, continues to have a remarkable career - she has just signed a contract as an acting professor which will see her working until she is 102!
Margaret says, “I studied for my degree in Education and Psychology part time while teaching in a primary school. I was invited to join the Psychology Department at the University of Strathclyde in 1966 and was the only woman professor and head of department at the University of Birmingham. I am still working either on research, editing books or writing articles on education policy and still consulted by current students.
“I published my first book in 1957 about my PHD which explored left-handedness and then never stopped! I’m always in the middle of a paper or article and during lockdown, I was publishing a research report. I’ve been a visiting Professor at Newman University for 20 years and have turned my second bedroom here at Ryland Place into my study so I can keep in touch with my colleagues and keep working.”
92-year-old Olympic athlete Rosemary Chrimes
Rosemary Chrimes (formerly Payne) enjoyed an extremely successful athletics career, representing Scotland at the Commonwealth Games and the UK in the Olympics at discus while also working full-time in education. She says her athletic success happened by accident:
“My older sister married a vet, who just happened to be a discus thrower. I’d always been a very lively and athletic person, and he was the one who told me to go to university and join the discus team, so I did. The next thing you know I’m winning gold at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh in 1970!
“I also got to experience representing the United Kingdom at the Olympics in 1972 when the games were in Munich. Unfortunately, it was a tragic Games and one that no one will forget, but the experience of being part of an Olympic team is one I’ll always remember.”
Rosemary then went on to win silver at the Christchurch Commonwealth Games in 1974. Once she retired, she turned to coaching, and began managing up-and-coming junior stars. Alongside her coaching, Rosemary also took part in Masters Athletics, which pitted the more experienced athletes against each other.
Rosemary said: “I didn’t know about Masters Athletics until I had retired and I had such great fun with it. I’d turn up to events and there would be people that I was competing against 20 years ago, it always made me feel nostalgic. I still keep up with the athletics now, and love to see some of those I’ve trained doing so well.”
Star of stage and screen, Anita Brown
Born in Birmingham, actor, Anita Brown, attended a drama school in Edgbaston just down the road from where she now lives at Ryland Place:
“I attended drama school through a grant as it was extremely expensive, and we couldn’t afford it. I made some fantastic friends including Nicol Williamson, who I was in classes with. We were the only two there on grants, everyone else came from rich families that paid for them to be there, but we knew we were the best ones there!
“Lucky for me I was also able to dance and model, so these also formed part of my early career. One of the funniest jobs I ever did was a bathing suit commercial, they used my photo all the way up the side of an escalator on the underground, so when my mother came to visit me, I don’t think she was best pleased, but we had a good laugh about it.”
Anita is well travelled, having done a year with dance troops over in Beirut in the late 50’s. She featured in the 1957 movie Saint Joan directed by Otto Preminger and several episodes of Crossroads.
She adds, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with the likes of Amanda Barry and Barbara Windsor, as well as a few drinks with Frank Sinatra when me and my friend were in a bar in London. I’ve never lost my love for the arts and can always be found watching a film, enjoying a play, or keeping up with the news from the arts world. I don’t think that is something that will ever go away!”
82-year-old gardening expert Janet Cartwright
Janet Cartwright has always been passionate about gardening, but her career in that area was thwarted by sexism - so she turned to swimming.
“I’ve loved gardening for as long as I can remember. In those days though, it was regarded as strange to do a job that was seen as a ‘man’s job’. So, when I joined the Parks Department at Smethwick Council, I was actually the first ever female to take on the role!
“However, once I started it soon became apparent that women were not treated the same as men. The male apprentices were earning more money than me and I was full-time. I knew that I wasn’t getting what I deserved so I taught swimming for 26 years, as they were paying their women employees the same wage as the men.”
Janet put her gardening expertise to use at Ryland Place, working alongside the development’s professional gardeners to put her stamp on the gardens with input from her fellow homeowners.
“We decided the gardens needed some colour, so I took it upon myself to start planting some bulbs. The garden has things like daffodils and snow drops now that will stay there for the foreseeable and just make everyone a little bit happier when they’re outside.”
Ryland Place is even named after a remarkable woman!
There’s another reason Ryland Place is a fitting choice to mark International Women’s day 2025 - it is named after Louisa Ryland, Birmingham’s major benefactor and philanthropist, who donated several large areas of land to the city, including Canon Hill Park and Small Heath Park, as well as supporting the Birmingham School of Art, The Birmingham & Midlands Institute and multiple hospitals
Our remarkable women have formed a fast friendship with each other and the other homeowners at this superb and lively retirement community for the over 70s. Margaret continues, “Ryland Place has many residents who have led fascinating lives, some of whom enjoy living life to the full."
“For example, Rosemary brought her baby grand piano with her when she moved in and now five of us are having piano lessons. There’s such a great community here and it’s lovely to be surrounded by like-minded people.” Read more about Rosemary’s piano playing.
Find a community full of remarkable women - and men - near you
Whether you choose an independent living apartment with Retirement Living or opt for the added services of Retirement Living PLUS, our retirement communities host a range of (entirely optional) informal gatherings, arts and crafts and fitness clubs to keep people busy. Everyone is welcome and new friendships blossom as a result.
Learn more our retirement homes near you, call our friendly team on 0800 201 4811 or contact us online for more information.
